Hubble celebrates 32nd anniversary

The Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of a unique group of merging galaxies that provides a glimpse into processes in the early universe. The five galaxies, known as Hickson Compact Group 40 (HCG 40), are in the process of merging into a single entity, a process that will be complete roughly a billion years from now. The image was released in anticipation of the venerable telescope’s 32nd anniversary on 24 April and is part of Hubble’s long-standing work in studying galactic evolution.

“Studying nearby groups like HCG 40 helps astronomers learn about how galaxies formed,” the Hubble team said. “Tight groups like this may have been more common in the early universe, when their superheated, infalling material may have fuelled very energetic black holes called quasars.”

The galaxy group, located some 300 million light years away from Earth, is very tightly packed into a region of space less than twice the diameter of the stellar disc of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. Although scientists have discovered more than 100 compact galaxy groups, the configuration of

HGC 40 is rather unique as the galaxies are not part of a larger galaxy cluster, making them an interesting target for astronomers to study. How this configuration came into being is still a matter of debate.